A bright new day at the World Economic Forum

Participants arrive at the congress centrre prior to the opening of the World Economic Forum in Davos on January 21, 2014. Some 40 world leaders gather in the Swiss ski resort Davos to discuss and debate a wide range of issues including the causes of conflicts plaguing the Middle East, and how to reinvigorate the global economy. - ERIC PIERMONT/AFP/Getty Images

The World Economic Forum, the winter gathering of the powerful, kicks off today in the Alpine town of Davos, Switzerland. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will give the keynote address later today. Japan has been in the midst of what appears to be a dramatic economic turnaround since Abe took office. And Japan isn't the only economy on the mend, says BBC business reporter Anthony Reuben from Davos.

"It's a very sunny morning here in Davos, and a lot of people are seeing that as a reflection of the way the economy is going," Reuben says. "It was a much gloomier economic forum this time last year. A lot of people are coming in and saying, 'Actually, we're seeing a bit of a recovery now.'"

To find out more about this year's World Economic Forum, click the audio player above to listen to the interview.